Week in Review

COSTA MESA

100-plus-degree Orange County Fair wraps up

“Our joke now is this was the 114th fair in our history and it was 114 degrees.”

So declared Becky Bailey-Findley, chief executive of the Orange County Fair, after this year’s festival closed July 31. Yes, it was an exceptionally hot July, and perhaps as a result, fair attendance went down a bit from the previous two years. Still, with the third-highest attendance in history ? 924,315 ? fair officials had little to complain about.

This year’s fair offered a number of firsts, including the U.S. premiere of UC Irvine’s fuel cell exhibit, which was featured last summer at the World’s Fair in Japan. In addition, the festival included Mexican-style Lucha Libre wrestling, a flower theme, and performances by Paul Simon, the Moody Blues, Cyndi Lauper, Gnarls Barkley and other popular artists.

“It used to be the weather,” said vendor Gary Edwards, explaining what kept him returning to the fair every summer for 17 years. “Maybe it’s habit now.”

NEWPORT BEACH

Residents group forms to fight Greenlight II

A group has officially formed to fight the development-control ballot issue called Greenlight II. Proponents say the measure will allow residents to preserve the quality of life in Newport by voting on major developments, but opponents call it ballot box planning.

Taxpayers Against Greenlight II was established by residents ? including former mayors Jan DeBay and Dennis O’Neil ? who signed the ballot argument against the issue. O’Neil said no developers are involved in the group.

Greenlight proponent Phil Arst expects significant spending to oppose the measure.

It cost the State Parks Department $14 million to renovate 22 cottages, but 24 cottages have yet to be refurbished, and there’s no more state money. The alliance plans to raise money for the work, but founder Laura Davick said a boost from the city would be welcome.

Newport Beach Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said the report doesn’t paint a fair picture because it discusses water samples from creeks and storm drains, not beaches. Many of Newport’s beaches have gotten good water-quality scores from other environmental agencies.

BUSINESS

Upscale seafood joint begins reeling in diners

Newport Beach’s newest upscale seafood restaurant opened Aug. 1 in Fashion Island to a full schedule of reservations. Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits specializes in simple, but tantalizing “fin” and “shell” dishes, as well as vodka cocktails infused with freshly squeezed fruit juices.

A product of OSI Restaurant Partners Inc., which gave residents Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, the restaurant is decked out with a dedicated fish-cutting room kept icy-cold, waterfalls, TV screens and teal-colored mosaic tiles cascading down the walls.

Dishes range from $9 to $36 and include blue crab cakes, lobster en fuego, baked goat cheese and yellowtail crudo and wild salmon.

POLITICS

Area council candidates fill campaign coffers

Newport-Mesa city council candidates filed reports showing how much money they’ve raised between Jan. 1 and June 30.

In Newport Beach, Councilwoman Leslie Daigle had the biggest coffers, with more than $63,000 raised for her campaign. Including Daigle, eight candidates filed reports on fundraising. Three other candidates who have taken out candidacy papers did not file reports, which are not required for those who raise or spend less than $1,000.

Six council seats are on the November ballot, along with the city’s general plan update and a growth control ballot measure known as Greenlight II. Greenlight supporters reported raising $39,342 in the first half of 2006, bringing their total cash to $55,418. The group expects to be outspent by opponents, though no one opposing the measure has filed a financial report.

REAL ESTATE

Newport home prices level off; rise in Costa Mesa

The real estate market appears to be evening out in Newport Beach and heating up in Costa Mesa as home buyers opt for less-expensive options.

The median prices of new and resale houses and condos in Costa Mesa climbed 5% in June 2006, compared with June 2005 figures.

Newport communities ? except Corona del Mar, which showed a 1% increase ? showed a slump in the prices of new and resale houses and condos sold in June, with Newport Coast decreasing more than 5%. Firsttime buyers competing for entry-level housing in Costa Mesa, Galitski said, may be driving prices up. Speculators may also have an effect on the sliding prices in Newport Beach, Galitski said.

WEEK OUT

PUBLIC SAFETY

Drive-by shooting leaves 1 dead, 4 wounded

A Costa Mesa neighborhood was shocked by a violent shooting that resulted in one man’s death and the injuries of four others Wednesday night. As of Friday, police had not arrested a suspect and had provided little information about the events that night.

Israel Maciel, 23, was killed, and four others were shot in the alley behind an apartment complex in the 1300 block of West Baker Street Wednesday. Witnesses told police the shots came from a Chevrolet Impala that left the area. Maciel, who worked at Jack’s Surfboards in Huntington Beach, died at the scene.

The shooting was Costa Mesa’s fourth homicide this year. In all of 2005, there were three reported homicides.

Deleon, 26, was charged July 28 with putting a hit out on his father, John Jacobson Sr., and his cousin, Michael Lewis. Deleon, who has been in custody since December 2004, allegedly asked a fellow inmate to carry out the murders.

Police believe Deleon schemed with others to kill Tom and Jackie Hawks, a retired couple who lived aboard their yacht in Newport.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

“When you have job centers, soup kitchens and a high concentration of downscale rental units, it drives the city down, and I favor a multifaceted approach to include stronger gang enforcement and overlay-zone revitalization, and I also think a social worker holding the hand of a hardened gang member has not worked in other cities.”

? Allan Mansoor, Costa Mesa mayor, reacting to a drive-by shooting in an alley off West Baker Street on Wednesday that left one dead and four injured

“I grew up here, and I’ve never heard anything like this before. And there’s no reason; that’s the sad part.”

? Miguel Barcenas, whose brother Ivan Barcenas was injured in Wednesday’s shooting

“For fishermen this is just a bonanza?. It’s going to be a fun year if this water holds.”

? Greg Hickman, president of the Balboa Angling Club, on the warm ocean temperatures that are drawing tropical-water fish to Orange County waters

“It really comes down to affordability, and Costa Mesa is much more affordable than Newport Beach.”

? Kurt Galitski, vice president of Costa Mesa-based Weichman Associates Realtors, on why buyers in the cooling real estate market appear to be opting for homes in Costa Mesa over pricier properties in Newport Beach

“This fair, to me, was probably, in terms of quality, our finest fair. There were beautiful plants and flower displays, and, of course, they thrived in this humidity?. Our joke now is this was the 114th fair in our history and it was 114 degrees. The heat did have an impact, but it doesn’t change the experience or the memories of the people who worked here.”

? Becky Bailey-Findley, chief executive officer of the Orange County Fair, on this year’s event, which drew 924,315 visitors in hot, muggy weather